Switched At Birth
by Anonymous Skrtle
Summary: Logan Knight finds out that 17 years ago, the hospital switched him with another boy, Kendall Mitchell. His whole life should have been someone else's life. The two boys find out what family really means as they face the challenges of realizing that they've been switched at birth. (All the boys will have a pretty big part in this story.)
1. Switched At Birth

_**Switched At Birth**_

_**Chapter 1**_

This could _not_ be happening.

The thought raced through Logan Knight's head as his pale hands gripped the rusty old sheet of paper. His brown eyes were glued onto it, his heart pumping fast.

It was a Friday afternoon. Logan had gone to volunteer at the Children's Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, where his mom worked as a nurse.

Ever since he was about 5 years, after an incident that he tried not to ever mention again, Logan had wanted to be a doctor. He wanted to help people feel better, even save lives. How better to learn than to volunteer in one of Minnesota's most well-known hospitals?

He had been working for about 40 minutes, pushing around carts and helping with small errands, when luck, or fate, led him to bump into a nurse walking down the hall. Papers spilled out of the woman's hands.

"I'm _so_ sorry! Here, let me pick those up for you!" Logan said hurriedly. The nurse smiled at him gratefully when he handed her the dropped papers. Logan paused for a moment when one of the documents caught his eye.

It was the birth certificate of a newborn baby. The nurse caught him staring at it and smiled. "That's the birth certificate of a baby that was just born a few hours ago. We keep all the kids' certificates in the hospital." She explained.

"Oh, that's neat." Logan replied honestly. He himself had also been born here, about 17 years ago. He made a mental note to ask if he could see his birth certificate later on in the day.

At the end of his shift, Logan approached his "boss", Doctor Arthur Griffin, and asked him if he could see his certificate. "Of course. I'm glad you're so interested to learn about your birth." Dr. Griffin had replied.

Logan followed the man into a room full of files and cabinets. He pulled out a manilla envelope from the sea of all the rest, and took out a sheet of paper. "Here you go. Logan Hortense Knight."

Logan glanced at it, reading it over. Born September 23th. Gender: male. Hair color: blonde.

Logan froze, blinking once, twice, to see if he had read that right. _Blonde_ hair? He didn't have blonde hair; his hair was certainly brown and not blonde. The boy turned to Dr Griffin. "Uh, my hair color's wrong on this thing."

Dr. Griffin squinted to read the type. "Oh. That's strange. There could be a typing error, as have occurred many times in the past. But perhaps your hair started out blonde, and then turned brown as you grew older. We don't usually bother to make those types of changes." Logan nodded, accepting this explanation as valid. His mother _had _mentioned his hair not being brown when he was younger, now that he thought about it.

He kept on reading. Weight: 6 pounds 3 ounces. Eye color: green.

He shook his head. That was so weird. His eyes had _always_ been brown. Eyes don't change color, do they? Dr. Griffin narrowed his eyes, too, having looked over Logan's shoulder. "That's strange. I've never heard of _two_ errors being made on someone's birth certificates. Maybe we should check this out."

So Dr. Griffin had went to some sort of prominent figure in the hospital, who had looked through his computer files for 10 minutes, and then they told Logan.

"Wow. This is unbelievable." The prominent man had muttered to himself.

"What? What's wrong?" Logan asked, almost frantically.

The man looked at him. "I'm sorry, Logan, but I'm afraid when you were still in the infirmary after your birth, a nurse switched you and another boy. You belong to someone else."

So now Logan's heart was still beating rapidly, and he felt like he was in a dream. It was like a... it was like reading a novel. He had been _switched at birth?_

This could _not_ be happening.

"Logan? Are you okay?" Dr. Griffin asked softly. Logan shook his head, his breathing getting harder and faster.

"I-I was _switched?_ With whom?" He inquired, afraid that he may actually know whoever he had been switched with.

But the thing that scared Logan the most was not that, it was that all this meant that his mom wasn't his mom, his house wasn't his house, his little brother Carlos wasn't his actual little brother.

His _name_ wasn't even his real name. Nothing was _actually_ his; they all were supposed to belong to someone else?

The doctor typed something into the computer. "His name is Kendall Mitchell."

_line line line_

"Rough practice today, huh?" Kendall Mitchell muttered as he stuffed his hockey gear and equipment into his duffel bag.

His best friend and hockey buddy, James Diamond, let out a dramatic sigh. "_Rough?_ That was genocide out there, man!" Kendall rolled his eyes at James's over exaggeration. But he was kind of right. Coach Rocque was clearly trying to kill them.

"Well, I guess he's gotta be hard on us. Regionals is in a month, dude." Kendall pointed out. It was true. This year, Kendall was determined to lead Palm Woods High School to State finals. He was the captain of the varsity hockey team, and he was only a junior, so people expected him to be good.

And he was.

"Yeah. I guess." James muttered, rubbing his arms tiredly.

Kendall turned to look at him. "Hey, you wanna hang out at my house today? My mom can pick you up."

James shrugged. "Sure. I just gotta text my mom first."

Kendall's phone suddenly rang as he zipped his bag shut. He checked the Caller I.D. It was his mom. "Hey mom, I'll be out in a second. Can James come home with us?"

"Uh, sweetie, I'm afraid not. I have some... news." His mom admitted grimly. Kendall was confused.

"What is it, mom?"

"Sweetie, the hospital just called." Kendall froze. Had something happened to his father, or to Katie, his twin sister?

"Nobody's hurt. But I'm afraid... I really hate to tell you this on the phone, but it's an emergency... Sweetie, when you were born, a nurse accidentally switched you and another baby boy. You're not my biological son, honey."

Kendall felt like he couldn't breathe. "Wh-what?" He felt James pulling at his shoulder, asking him what was wrong.

Kendall pushed him away. "I-I have to go, James." He rushed out of the locker room, almost tripping over his own two feet.

How could that be?

How could everything he had ever known be... fake?

_line line line_

"It'll be okay, Kendall, I'm sure you'll get along just fine with him." Joanna Mitchell assured his son. Kendall took a deep breath, wringing his hands together nervously.

"I can't believe this is actually _real._" His twin sister, Katie, said. "So my twin is actually someone else?"

His father, Jaison Mitchell, nodded. "I'm afraid so, pumpkin. Well, technically, you three are triplets, since you were all born on the same day." He pointed out.

Kendall just nodded, not really listening. His whole life he had thought he was a twin... and now he was being told he wasn't?

His whole life had been just a big _lie_, huh?

He shook the thought away. No. His life was still his life, his family was still his family; some stupid mistake was not going to change that.

And then the doorbell rang.

His mother rushed to open the door, smiling in greeting at the three people who stood on their doormat. "Come on in, come on in!" She ushered them cheerfully.

Kendall scrutinized them, feeling Katie and his father do so too beside him. There was a woman, the mother who, eerily enough, sort of resembled Kendall. Well, Kendall told himself, she _was_ his mother. The woman had brownish-red hair, grey-blue eyes, and a petite figure.

Then there were two boys. Kendall could immediately tell which one was older, because he was much taller than the smaller one. And the smaller one looked a bit more shy than the older one. Definitely the younger brother.

"Oh, you must be Logan!" His mother's voice shook Kendall out of his thoughts. "This is Kendall."

Kendall met Logan's brown eyes. Logan was pretty normal looking. Average height, average weight. He had soft black hair that looked a bit ruffled, brown eyes, and dimples when he smiled. He was actually quite handsome. Kendall smirked in his head. James would be jealous.

"Hi, Kendall. It's nice to meet you." Logan greeted him politely. They shook hands.

"How about we leave you four kids alone?" Logan's mother offered. "We don't want to hover over you guys."

Kendall just nodded slowly, while Logan smiled at the adults. "We'll be fine." He assured them.

And then they were by themselves.

Kendall cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Wow. This is really weird." He blurted out. Logan chuckled.

"Yeah. Definitely. So what are you? My 'switched at birth' twin?"

Kendall shrugged. "I really have no idea. Oh, by the way, this is my twin sister, Katie. I guess she's your real twin."

Katie smiled at him. "Hey. I guess you're my real brother."

Logan shrugged. "I don't know. Real seems like such a strange word. We're all real. Kendall's still your real brother too, right? We're just related by blood." He put a hand on the boy standing next to him. "This is Carlos. He's my younger brother."

Carlos smiled at them shyly. "Uh, hi. It's nice to meet you guys." He was Latino, with big brown eyes and ink black hair that was even more ruffled than Logan's. He was short, but otherwise pretty normal looking. He was pretty adorable, with his chubby cheeks and his baby face.

Kendall smiled back at him. Carlos was his real- no, his _biological _brother. It was kind of strange; Carlos was Hispanic, but his mother was clearly not. Kendall wondered why their father wasn't here. He decided not to ask.

They weren't that close yet.

"So, uh, where do you guys go to school?" Kendall asked.

"Cedarwood High School. You know where that is?" Cedarwood was one of the sketchiest cities in Minnesota. It was, well, a _bad_ neighborhood, and the kids in their high school weren't so academically skilled and did a bunch of drugs and stuff. Kendall had heard all about crimes happening around Cedarwood.

Kendall nodded. "Yeah. We go to Palm Woods High." Palm Woods, where Kendall lived, was a rich neighborhood. Every mom was a soccer mom, every dad was pretty much a millionaire, and their school was pretty amazing in academics and athletics. It was the opposite of Cedarwood.

Logan could apparently read Kendall's thoughts, though, because he scoffed. "Why are you so surprised? We're not all 'rich and spoiled' like you people."

Kendall shared a shocked glance with Katie. "What are you talking about? We're not spoiled!" He retorted.

Logan raised his eyebrows at him. "Really? You people live in multimillion-dollar _mansions,_ for God's sake! You guys go to a special rich school where they can afford gourmet food and multiple swimming pools! You don't call that spoiled?"

Kendall shook his head. "We have all that, but that doesn't mean we don't have to work! My parents don't give us any money! We have to earn it ourselves!"

Logan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, by getting a job at a place that pays more than what teachers are getting paid." He mumbled.

Kendall looked at Logan, not believing his ears. "What's up with you? We're not royalty! We don't have it that good!"

Logan glared at Kendall, his brown eyes turning almost black. "Well, you sure have it a heck of a lot better than us! You're future is set! You've all got the money to go to college and get a job, while _we_ have to earn every single penny and still not have enough to pay for it! In our school, if we don't get a scholarship, we're probably not going to go to college!"

Kendall felt a bit bad for Logan. What he said was true. Kendall _did_ have it a lot better. He wouldn't blame Logan for thinking they were royalty. Kendall had never had to worry about anything financially. His parents were rich, being the co-owners of Diamond Cosmetics, James's family, of course, being the owners.

But that didn't mean their lives were _easy._ Kendall knew plenty of people at his school who had pretty challenging lives. Money didn't make everything better.

But it sure made a lot of things better.

Kendall sighed, rubbing a hand over his blonde hair. "Okay, dude. I'm sorry."

Logan just shook his head. "Come on, Carlos. Let's go see what mom is up to." Carlos followed Logan out of the room, giving Kendall and Katie a somewhat apologetic look.

Katie put a hand on Kendall's shoulder. "Don't let him get to you. What is up with that guy?" She asked.

"He's right. I mean, we do have it a lot better than a lot of people, especially _Cedarwood_ people." Kendall admitted. It was true.

Katie shrugged. "Yeah, but he didn't need to get all angry! I mean, if that's gonna be my brother, then I hate him. At least _your_ brother is nice."

"What are you talking about?"

"Dude, Carlos didn't argue. He barely even said a word. I'd say he's pretty nice."

Kendall sighed. "I just can't process this. _You're_ not my sister, so are we still twins?"

"I guess we are. I mean, blood isn't everything, right? We're still family."

Kendall nodded. They were still family, no matter what some stupid birth certificate said. Logan was probably never going to like them anyway. "Right."

_line line line_

"Ugh! Can you believe these people! How can they live with themselves, knowing that they have hot tubs and diamond necklaces while there are other people literally living _minutes_ away from them who can barely afford their next meal?" Logan groaned in frustration.

Carlos cleared his throat, adjusting the collar of his jacket. "Logan, calm down. They're pretty nice people. And they've always lived like this; they don't know what other people's lives are like. It's not their fault." He tried to explain to Logan.

Logan just sighed through gritted teeth. "Whatever. I just can't stand those people. They don't understand that not everyone is like them! Some people actually have _problems!"_

Carlos shifted uncomfortably. He really hated it when Logan got all angry and worked up. He talked really fast and it was hard to keep up. "Logan, please slow down. You barely even know them." He pointed out.

Logan sat down beside Carlos on a wooden bench outside on the huge front porch of the Mitchell's mansion. "I'm sorry, Carlos. Maybe I _am_ being too hard on them. I mean, I have to actually know them before judging them, right?" Carlos nodded. "I'm just afraid... what happens when they find out? About you? I mean, I bet none of them have problems like... like yours."

Carlos shrugged, even though the question had bothered him for a while too. "I-I don't know. I don't know how to tell them."

Logan patted his shoulder. "It's fine, little brother. I'll tell them. And if they say anything stupid about it, I'll punch them silly." Carlos smiled a bit at that.

"Thanks, Logan."

"No problem, Carlos."

**A/N- Another story! This is based on ABC's series "Switched At Birth". Some parts are going to be similar, but I tried my best to make this story different from what happens in the show.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any plot-related ideas or people that correspond to the show in any way.**

**Anyways, I really hope you guys do enjoy this story. It's my first AU, but the characters are somewhat similar to their personalities on the show. Please review and tell me what you thought? I don't know if I should continue this, and your reviews really help me to see if you guys are liking this story!**

**Peace, Love, and Giraffes**

**Anonymous Skrtle**


	2. Rich Folk

_**Switched At Birth**_

_**Chapter 2**_

Kendall was _not _getting a good vibe from Logan.

They were all eating together in the dining room table, which was only reserved for holidays and special occasions. But this _was_ a special occasion, right?

His mom had cooked lots of good food that she reserved only for Thanksgiving or Christmas or a birthday, so that was a plus side. The down side was that Logan kept on giving him these angry glances across the table where he sat next to Carlos.

"So, did you boys get to know each other?" Kendall's mom, Joanna, asked cheerfully. Kendall really wished she wouldn't ask them about each other, but that was what moms did, right? Logan looked up at her and smiled.

"Yep. He's a very nice boy." He answered, giving Kendall a forced smile. Kendall smiled back hesitantly.

"Oh, that's great!" Jennifer, Logan's mom, gushed. "What do you think, Carlos?" She asked, turning to look at the Latino boy.

Carlos reached back to scratch his ear. "Uh, he's pretty nice. And Katie is cool too." He responded, sounding sincere. Katie smiled at the compliment, giving Logan an angry glance; it was clear which brother she liked more. And who could blame her? Carlos was nice, Logan... wasn't. At least, he didn't appear to be.

But Kendall found Logan... interesting. No one had ever dissed him for being rich before; the worst that they had ever done was try and borrow money from him. People were mostly jealous of the money his family had. But Logan seemed to understand that money wasn't everything, something that had taken Kendall a long time to learn. Logan looked like he cared so much about his little brother and his mother, like he would give up all the money in the world for them, and Kendall almost... admired him for it.

Kendall loved his family, but most times they, himself included, seemed to care more about grades and college and friends and earning more money than spending time with each other. Maybe Logan wasn't rich, but Kendall was sure his family was closer than theirs. Kendall envied the bond they probably had.

Money couldn't buy that.

Jennifer smiled at her younger son. "That's great, honey. Boys, the Mitchells have been kind enough to let us move into their guest house next door. If we move in, then you boys could go to Palm Woods High just like Kendall and Katie." She sounded happy about it, but Logan seemed like he wanted to kill someone. That someone probably being Kendall.

But he didn't say anything, just smiled politely at Kendall's parents without saying a word. Carlos thanked them for being so generous. "Logan's really smart. He wants to be a doctor when he grows up." He told everyone at the table.

Logan gave Carlos a glare, which no one else saw but Kendall, and Carlos shrunk back and looked down, fiddling with his ear.

Kendall's father, Jaison, was practically beaming. "That's great, Logan! I'm a surgeon myself; maybe you inherited my genes for medicine!" He joked. Logan smiled back at him politely.

"Maybe I did." He responded curtly. Jaison didn't seem to notice, although Kendall was pretty sure he was just trying to ignore the rude response.

Jennifer clapped her hands together. "Well, I'm sure Palm Woods High is a great high school!"

Joanna nodded. "It's ranked number 3 in the state." She added.

Logan tapped his mom on the shoulder. "Mom, can I talk to you? Alone?" He asked through gritted teeth. Jennifer looked surprised but agreed nonetheless. They walked out of the dining room and into the hallway.

Kendall shared a glance with Katie, who mouthed "ungrateful jerk" at him. Kendall couldn't disagree, but he felt there was more to Logan than that.

Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell, having recovered from the abrupt exit of Logan and his mother, turned and focused on Carlos. "What grade are you in, Carlos?" Joanna asked nicely.

"10th. I'm only a grade younger than Logan." He replied sweetly. He glanced the direction Logan and his mom had left.

"So, what's up with your brother?" Katie asked loudly, breaking the silence. Kendall glared at her, but Carlos didn't seem to hear. "Carlos?"

Carlos turned around quickly, looking surprised that everyone was looking at him. "Oh! Oh, sorry, I, uh, zoned out a minute there. What did you say?" He asked, clearly flustered.

"What's up with Logan?" Katie repeated. Kendall sighed. Katie was so blunt some times.

Carlos fiddled with the sleeve of his shirt. "I'm sorry about him. He's just taking this kind of hard, I guess. But I'm sure he'll come around. He's actually really nice, if you're worried." He told them.

"I'm sure he is." Katie smiled back. Carlos didn't seem to hear the sarcasm in her voice, because he just nodded and smiled back.

But Kendall wasn't being sarcastic when he said, "Yep. Katie's right. I'm sure he's nice."

_line line line_

"Mom! We can't move into their guest house!" Logan whisper-yelled.

Jennifer put a gentle hand on Logan's shoulder. "Sweetie, I know this is weird for you, but we _do_ need the financial support, and it would be nice to get you boys to a better school."

Logan shook his head. "We don't _need_ a better school! Cedarwood is perfectly fine! I don't want to go to some stupid rich kid school with stupid rich kids!" He snapped, raising his voice a bit.

"Logan, sweetie, please just try it for a few months? This situation is hard for all of us, even the Mitchells. We're trying to deal with it the best we can." Jennifer tried to assure Logan.

Logan just grunted. "Whatever. And what about Carlos?"

"What _about_ Carlos? I'm sure the Mitchells be fine with Carlos the way he is. They won't treat him differently when they know." Jennifer reassured her son.

"Yeah, maybe _they _won't, since we're kind of like their family. But kids at school already make fun of him for it all the time! Who says a rich kid school will be any different? In my opinion, those kids will probably make fun of him even more! They would never understand." Logan explained, tears in his eyes. "I-I just... I just _hate_ it when people take advantage of him because of it." He admitted softly, sniffling.

Jennifer understood. "I know, sweetie. I do too. If someone doesn't understand at first, I don't think they ever will. But I'm so glad he has such a caring older brother who will always protect him no matter what." Her soft voice soothed Logan a little. He _would_ protect Carlos no matter what.

"Thanks, mom. And... I got into an argument with Kendall... I guess I just judged him because they were rich, and because I was just so worried about the new school." Logan confessed. "Now Kendall and Katie probably think I'm a huge jerk."

Jennifer kissed Logan on the forehead. "Oh, sweetie... You guys just met. You just have to get to know each other better. I'm sure you'll be good friends."

Logan smiled, though he was still doubtful a friendship would ever blossom between him and Kendall, or even him and Katie.

Who knew? Maybe they could become best friends.

He and his mom walked back into the room. Carlos looked relieved to see them, and to see that Logan was no longer fuming with rage. "Are you guys okay?" Joanna inquired softly. Jennifer and Logan smiled at each other and nodded.

"We are just fine."

"So you are all okay with moving into our guest house? It will be so great, having you guys living right next to us!" Joanna pronounced happily. Katie could practically hear the internal groans that Logan let out.

What was up with him? Shouldn't he be grateful that they had let him live in their huge house, _and_ let them go to their prosperous school? He seemed to just hate them all for no reason at all, even though Katie was his blood-related _sister!_

But Kendall, on the other hand, realized that Logan didn't look all that angry anymore. He just looked tired, worried, maybe even a little happy. Whatever they had talked about in the hallway, Logan's mood sure had changed.

See? Kendall had been right. Maybe Logan wasn't so bad after all.

_Line line line _

"Kendall?" Kendall almost dropped the plate he was holding in surprise. He turned around and saw Logan watching him. The rest of the family, well, the two families, were in the family room talking, and it was Kendall's turn to wash the dishes.

"Oh, uh, hey, Logan." Kendall greeted hesitantly. Was he here to yell at him some more? But Logan didn't look angry.

Logan took a few step closer to where Kendall was standing. Kendall put the plate into the dishwasher and wiped his hands on a rag cloth. "Hey, um, I just wanted to apologize. For today." Logan started awkwardly.

Kendall didn't not expect that. Was Logan bipolar or something? He had switched personalities so quickly, Kendall couldn't believe this was the same Logan from a few hours ago who had yelled at him for being rich and spoiled.

"It's just... I hate accepting help from other people. Especially accepting someone's house to live in. We've always earned every penny of what we have, so it's just strange to suddenly be offered a huge house without having to do anything for it." Logan explained, not really meeting Kendall's eyes.

Kendall exhaled the breath he had been holding. He had a feeling there was another reason too, but he decided not to push it. "Yeah, I get what you mean. Your pride and stuff, right?" Logan rolled his eyes but didn't protest nonetheless. "It's fine. I'm sorry for yelling back, too. Nobody's ever insulted me for being rich before, but that's probably because I live amongst millionaires."

Logan scoffed. "Yeah, probably." He muttered, but Kendall could tell he wasn't trying to offend him. "But just so you know, I still think you and your sister are bad influences on my little brother. I don't want him growing up thinking that being rich means everything."

"Dude, you're only like a year older than him. You're not worried we have a bad influence on _you_, too?" Kendall pointed out.

Logan shrugged. "I already know money isn't everything. It's actually not even close to everything. But Carlos is gullible and innocent and he believes a lot of what other people tell him. And by giving us a huge house for free, it might give him the impression that money... you know."

"Yeah, I guess. But we don't think that money is everything, so you don't have anything to worry about."

Logan scoffed again. "Yeah, that's what you think. But your family appears to me to be money-loving-golf-club-participating-rich folks. No offense."

Kendall didn't think he could change Logan's mind by just talking to him; he had to prove to Logan that they were _not _typical self-obsessed rich people. "Well, you can think what you want, and I'll think what I want." Kendall retorted smartly.

Logan chuckled. "You're not so bad, Kendall Mitchell." He smirked.

"Right back at you, Logan Knight."

_line line line _

"Well, this is it." Jennifer presented excitedly. Logan and Carlos stared up at the house neighboring the Mitchells, and their jaws dropped.

36 Ruby Circle was amazingly gorgeous. It was made of red brick and had beautiful white windows and doors. It had an outdoor swimming pool and jacuzzi. And it was _huge._ It was three times the size of their old house, at least.

"Come on in, boys." Joanna called encouragingly. "You'll be living here now."

The inside was even better. There were chandeliers and flat screen TVs and a huge spiral staircase that seemed to go up forever. Logan and Carlos couldn't help but think that they were in the middle of a dream.

"It's cool, right?" Katie asked, amused by their reactions. Logan gaped at her.

"It's definitely a rich person's mansion." He agreed. It was clear he was still a bit resentful because they had to come stay here at a stereotypical rich person's house, but even Logan couldn't hate 36 Ruby Circle.

"This is _so_ awesome!" Carlos squeaked, scanning the house with wide brown eyes. "Thank you _so_ much for letting us stay here, Mrs. Mitchell!" He turned to the older lady, grinning. Joanna laughed and kissed Carlos on the cheek.

"You are very welcome, sweetie. After all, you're family."

Kendall and Katie nodded in agreement. But everyone could probably agree that the word "family" now had a completely different meaning to it.

**A/N- Hello, another chapter! Hopefully the wait wasn't too long! Thanks SO much for all the nice reviews last chapter! Please keep reviewing (hint- if I get 10 reviews I am more likely to update sooner wink wink) Haha sorry about that but please review?**

**Peace, Love, and Giraffes**

**Anonymous Skrtle**


	3. My Brother

**Switched At Birth**

**Chapter** 3

"So, let me get this straight." James said as he and Kendall walked down the hall at Palm Woods High. "Katie's not actually your blood-related sister?"

Kendall nodded for the upteenth time. "Yes, James. And that does _not_ mean you can call dibs on her. I'm still her brother." He added quickly, knowing James too well.

James rolled his eyes, but nonetheless complied. "Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying." He shrugged at Kendall's eye roll.

"So," James continued, narrowly avoiding crashing into another student running past. "Who's your brother? Is he cool?" He asked curiously.

Kendall shrugged. "Yeah, he's pretty nice. His name's Carlos. He's a sophomore." He told James curtly, not wanting to elaborate more. It was an uncomfortable topic for him; it was weird talking about a brother that he'd never even known about until now.

James nodded like it was the most interesting news he'd heard all day (which may or may not have been true). He opened his mouth to say more, but a group of girls interrupted him.

"Hey, James!" One said, waving. Kendall was pretty sure James didn't even know the girl's name, but he nonetheless smiled back. And James had one of those million-dollar smiles.

"Hey." He said back. The girl looked like she was ready to faint.

Kendall sighed, shaking his head. Unfortunately, he was all too used to the dramatic displays of affection girls showed toward James. For some reason Kendall couldn't fully wrap his mind around, James was a girl magnet. He was handsome (almost abnormally so for a high school boy), Kendall couldn't deny that; but were girls really so self-centered that that was all they cared about? Girls who didn't even know anything about James threw themselves at him like dogs at fresh meat.

The blonde-haired boy grabbed James's arm and dragged him away. "Why do you always flirt back, man? Every single day." Kendall added, shaking his head.

James grinned. Kendall didn't faint. "Well, Kendall, I happen to enjoy their attention, unlike you. You should try opening up more; maybe more girls will be interested in you."

Kendall scoffed. "I don't need girls to be interested in me. My mother is already enough." He mumbled. James, for some reason, thought that was the funniest thing. He clapped Kendall on the back, laughing.

"You're funny, Kendall. Anyways, think over it. I gotta go." Kendall watched as James walked away, probably to talk to one of his twenty-thousand friends.

James was a good friend. And it was _not_ because he was good-looking.

* * *

"No way. Tell me you're kidding, Logan. Please."

Logan hit his locker when it didn't open for the third time. "Ozzie, I'm not kidding. I'm transferring schools."

Ozzie Clark, Logan's best friend, made a sound of disbelief. "To where? What's wrong with this school?" His question made Logan smile, because he could write a whole novel about the things that were wrong with Cedarwood High School.

"This school's great. But you know what happened. I don't have a choice; if I did, I'd never switch schools. Especially not to Palm Woods High."

"What?" Ozzie shrieked, causing a nearby teacher to cringe. "You're moving a rich kid school?"

Logan sighed. "Yes, Ozzie, I am. I'm sorry, but it's what's got to happen."

"No. You can fight back. You're almost 18, man. Once you're an adult, you can do whatever you want."

"Yes, but I won't be 18 until next year. Plus, it could be good for us. I want Carlos to grow up in a nice school. Not this one, no offense."

Logan explained, partly trying to convince himself. His locker finally opened after another two tries.

"Carlos? Who cares about that little twerp? This is about _you, _Logan. Not him."

"Ozzie, I told you already; whatever affects him affects me too. And he's not a 'little twerp'. He's my brother."

"Really? Is he really your brother? Cuz I remember you telling me that-"

Logan stood up and slammed his locker shut. "Ozzie, can't we just leave this alone?"

Ozzie looked down, his face falling a little. "Dude, I don't want you to leave." He said softly. "You're going to come back a rich kid."

Logan put a hand on Ozzie's shoulder. Though Ozzie was 6 foot 4 and weighed well over 250 pounds, sometimes he was just a teddy bear on the inside. But then again, other times he was a lion. "I won't be like them, Oz. You can still come over to my new house; things will barely be different."

The other boy shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

Logan patted him on the back. "See? It'll be okay, Oswald."

"I told you not to call me that, man!"

"Sorry."

* * *

"Dinner time, boys! It's pasta night!" Logan smiled a little at the familiar sentence. They'd been living at 36 Ruby Circle for a week already, and every night at around 7 Mrs. Mitchell would turn on the intercom that connected both houses and shout that it was time to eat.

It was nice, living like a rich person. You ate good food every night, got to have your own room… There were a lot of perks living with the Mitchells, even though Logan was reluctant to admit so.

"Come on, Carlos, Mrs. Mitchell said it's dinnertime!" Logan called over to Carlos, who nodded and began to follow him. He was a little quiet lately, probably because they were going to attend a new school starting Monday. Today was Friday, so he really only had a weekend left to brace himself for a whole new group of kids.

Logan didn't blame him; he was pretty nervous too, and he didn't even have to worry about what Carlos had to worry about. How were rich kids going to treat someone like Logan?

Dinner was great, as it always was, and afterwards, Logan found himself cleaning up the table along with none other than Kendall.

It was still a little weird around the blond boy, but they at least were talking. Kendall cleared his throat. "What's bothering you, dude? You seem much more… nervous. Is it because of school on Monday? You don't have to worry; it's a great school. Most of the people are nice." Kendall offered.

Logan shook his head. "It's not that… I mean, it kind of is. But... nevermind." It was stupid, really; Logan hadn't told Kendall or any of the Mitchell family about Carlos. It was like he wanted to keep it between his mom, Carlos, and himself. He was afraid if he shared it with anyone else, something precious would be broken.

But it had already been a week; he needed to tell someone. And he'd much rather confide in Kendall than in Kendall's parents, or in Katie. "What? What's wrong?" Kendall urged.

Logan looked around to make sure no one else was around. "It's… Carlos. I'm worried about him." He finally admitted.

"Carlos? He'll be fine too, Logan, I've already told you. You'll both be fine."

Logan shook his head. "No, it's just that… I think there's something about Carlos you should know. You and your family. I'm sorry I've waited so long to tell you. I was just afraid of what would happen if I did."

Kendall wiped his hands on a towel and motioned for Logan to sit down next to him at the cleaned kitchen table. "Afraid? Logan, we're not going to think anything bad of Carlos. Unless he did something bad like murder."

Logan smiled a little. "He didn't murder anyone. Kendall, Carlos… he's deaf."

He realized that it was such a blunt thing to start off with when Kendall gaped at him like he'd just grown wings. "Okay, okay, that came out wrong. He's deaf in one ear, and he wears a hearing aid."

Kendall blinked. "What?! How did we never notice? Why didn't you ever tell us? Why didn't _he_ ever say anything?"

"It's a small hearing aid, and it's made to blend in with his ear. And I don't think he wants you guys to know. But my point is, he's going to have a hard time at school because of it. He definitely did back in my old school."

"How? Like, bullies?" Kendall asked.

Logan nodded. "Yeah, that'd be a… nice way of putting it." It was clear he didn't want to elaborate, so Kendall didn't push him any further.

"Well, we'll keep an eye on him on Monday, right?" Kendall asked. Logan nodded.

"Yeah, I guess we will… Thanks for understanding, Kendall." Logan said sincerely, staring into Kendall's green eyes.

Kendall smiled. "He's my brother." He stated simply.

* * *

**A/N- It's been a looonnnggg time since I update this, and I'm really sorry. I can't say the next chapter is going to be up soon, and that this chapter was good quality, because I can't guarantee either of those things. I'm super busy these days, so maybe after this year I'll be able to update more.**

**Sorry, all. But thanks for reading. I'll try to update when I can! Thanks for all the reviews!**

**Anonymous Skrtle**


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